Lower Quin closed

I just got word from my guide that the Lower Quinault is closed. No reason given but my guess is that the unbridled slaughter of wild fish is finally coming home to roost.

http://www.quinaultindiannation.com/Fishing%20Regs/quinault%20sport.pdf

Probably should close the "upper Quinault", if the lower river is close!!! Don't ya think???????

I'm SHOCKED! When did the tribes start caring about wild steelhead.

They must genuinely care because they're pulling the nets, too.

http://www.quinaultindiannation.com/Fishing%20Regs/quinault%20commercial.pdf

still raping the Chehalis?

Well I heard, a few years back, that there was some "hard feelings" between the Quinault guides and the tribal gillnetters.....to many fish caught in the nets.

Five days a week up until this past Friday.

http://www.quinaultindiannation.com/Fishing%20Regs/chehalis%20commercial.pdf

Not sure that they went back in yesterday.

This was announced a few weeks ago. Not sure they've gotten the hatchery fish back they usually get. I know I haven't seen the pics posted on Facebook I usually see from some of the guides.

I know some of the Rec Guides also have Gill Net Rights through family history.

I have fished the lower Quinault a few times for fall salmon when the nets were in. Here are a few observations I found interesting compared to other coastal tribes I've watched. I was not at the mouth but up river a ways.

I did not see anyone Drift Netting. When I asked the guide he said "they don't do that on the Quinault", the nets didn't go way out across the river. They were in a 1/2 moon/circle in the traveling lanes but not staggered so nothing could get through. I did not see anyone pull up to their nets and gun the engines, circle around or use long poles to drive fish into the nets like I've watched on the Quileyute numerous times. I would guess the reason for the more shall we say "controlled netting" is that a lot of $$ is made of Rec fishing.

The Quinault, in many ways, is to the Tribes what WB is to WDFW. They more or less run it. They control the land use. What they don't control is NPS so like in WB the "somebody else ****** up the habitat argument goes away". No hydro. They control the hatcheries just like WDFW in WB. And, most importantly, they determine what hits the gravel because the main river and tribs are on-rez.

The run falls apart and they pay for it. When the fish runs fail, there is not the "rest of the state" to fall back on. And, perhaps conveniently, the people who fish (rec and comm) vote and no "outside" group can buy votes.

There certainly are differences but at the end of the the day if the Quinault River crashes they know who did it. Makes you more aware of what's happening.

Heard the same thing. A pile came in early then quit. Their was a blast of fresh 2 salt fish that came in on the last high water but overall not near the numbers. Apparently the Quinault plant, 414,706 @ Cook Crk. is not immune to mother natures wrath.

Seems everyone's conservation ethic strengthens significantly as soon as we figure out the fish aren't coming back anymore. The time to show restraint was long before now, but at least we've arrived. Hope it's not too late.

Quinault down......so do the QIN, now move the emphasis to the Humptulips and Chehalis?????

Can QIN guides fish the Humptulips???????

MMMMMM, something is going on with the QIN....QIN web site shows no "off reservation fishing schedule". I'm not seeing any set nets or gillnets, in the Chehalis River around the 101 bridge.

Could the tribe be "cutting back" on netting, this time of the year to protect wild steelhead?????

Is anyone seeing some netting this week???? February 18 - 23, 2018 ?????

It's open again starting tomorrow. they re-calculated or something to get the #'s

Well known Quinault sport fishing guide got the ball rolling by openly complaining about the closure and tribal leadership online. Opened the next day.

Where could one read that?

Well here is the QIN Official Opening:


http://www.quinaultindiannation.com/Fishing%20Regs/quinault%20sport.pdf